The Canon EF-S 17-85mm delivers a 5x optical zoom ratio with an equivalent
focal range of 27-136mm on a 35mm or full-frame body. This offers both wide
angle and reasonable telephoto coverage, and a more useful overall range than
the budget EF-S 18-55mm kit lens commonly bundled with compatible bodies.
The optical construction consists of 17 elements in 12 groups. The EF-S 17-85mm
also features Image Stabilisation facilities which claim up to three
stops of compensation against camera-shake.

In this review we'll take an in-depth look at the EF-S 17-85mm
lens. We tested it with the EOS-350D / Rebel XT body and compared
its performance against the budget EF-S 18-55mm and higher-end 17-40mm f4L
lenses. The EF-S 17-85mm lens tested had a serial number of 92001769.

UPDATE: We have now tested the Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM lens and compared it against the three lenses here using our latest charts. Visit our Canon EF-S 17-55mm review for the latest results. To see how these lenses also compare on an EOS 400D / XTi, see our latest Canon lens group test.